45 Days

On your mark, get set, #utpol. 45 Days takes you behind the scenes of the Utah Legislature's fast and furious annual session. Each week, KUER reporters highlight critical bills and how they could affect you. Along the way, we'll introduce the movers and shakers who convene every winter on Capitol Hill. Make sure you don't miss anything by signing up for our 45 Days newsletter!

The 2018 midterm elections are over but results are still trickling in for some races, including Utah's competitive 4th Congressional District where Republican incumbent Mia Love faces an uphill battle against Democrat Ben McAdams. As county clerks tally ballots for their final canvas, we survey the post-midterm landscape in Utah, where voters turned out in record numbers to vote for a new Senator, members of Congress and several citizen-led ballot initiatives.

Midterm elections are just around the corner and there is a lot on the ballot this year. That’s why KUER put out a call to our listeners to send us any and all questions about voting to pose to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, the state’s top elections chief.

Midterm elections are just around the corner, and like many of us, you probably have a few questions about the process, such as: "What IS a nonbinding question?" or "What happens if you fill out your vote by mail ballot wrong?" We want to hear from you. Share with us any questions you may have — and trust us, there's no question too simple. (Because if you're curious about it, chances are somebody else is too.) Next week, we'll be bringing Utah’s top elections official in studio to provide us with answers to your questions — lightning round style! So ... tell us:

We are live in Cedar City this week for a special recap of the 2018 legislative session. Joining Julia and Nicole on stage are three Utah lawmakers from the region: Rep. Walt Brooks of St. George, Rep. John Westwood of Cedar City and Sen. Don Ipson of St. George. What laws will have the biggest effect on southern Utah and how did the legislature tackle some of the critical issues facing it? This show was taped at Southern Utah University in partnership with the Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service.

That's a wrap! The Legislature passed 534 bills this session, just one bill shy of their record during the 2017 session, and left hundreds more behind. Here are the highlights, plus a conversation with Gov. Gary Herbert.

The 2018 legislative session is coming to an end and that means the end of the second season of 45 Days. We are always looking to improve our podcasts. Please help us by filling out this short survey. Your answers will help us match podcasts with underwriters that best fit the sensibilities of each show and its listeners. It also gives you a chance to tell us what you liked, and what we can do better in season 3 of your favorite political podcast!

Now, this is the story all about how Week 6 of the Legislature got flipped-turned upside down? Utah's beatboxing lawmakers are gearing up for their final spurt to the finish line with several big items still left on Republican leaders' to-do list. Notably, two proposals to add work requirements to Medicaid, the federal low-income health care program, are racing through the chambers as we speak. One lawmaker is also getting support for a last-minute bill to establish a "red flag" law to confiscate guns from people who pose a credible threat to public safety. The Legislature is also doing some Arnold Schwarzenegger-level flexing of power over a number of entities, including cities, the executive branch and — albeit unsuccessfully — the press.

Nothing in this world is certain but death and taxes, and legislators are tackling both in Week 5 of the session. This week we talk with reporter Whittney Evans about some surprise backers of a new death penalty repeal effort. We also look at the state's big budget surplus and try to divine what lawmakers might do with all that extra scratch. The Utah Legislature's bluest member Sen. Jim Dabakis announces he's done after this session, joining several other incumbents on their way out the door, like Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, our featured guest on 'Better Know a Lawmaker.'

This week lawmakers paused to honor the 17 lives lost in a school shooting in Parkland, Fla. But the latest school violence is unlikely to persuade Republican leaders to propose any big changes to gun laws this session. Meanwhile, a committee finally approved something close to a resolution acknowledging climate change without actually using the phrase "climate change." We also talk about some air quality bills and medical marijuana. Rep. Steve Eliason joins us on 'Better Know A Lawmaker' and explains how he's tackling Utah's youth suicide problem.

Every legislative session a few bills pop up that generate a lot of buzz, but never quite make it to the finish line. For the last few years, that has been the case with proposed legislation to toughen the state's penalties for hate crimes. So what invisible forces propel some bills while squashing others? Some critics say it's the Mormon Church, whose membership includes almost 90 percent of the Utah Legislature. Others say their influence is overstated. And then there's Steve Urquhart, a former Republican state senator from St. George, who observed this phenomenon firsthand.

Happy Winter Olympics! Utah misses you so. That's why lawmakers are eager to win them back by 2026 or 2030 — they've even passed a resolution that says as much. But who can think of the cold when things are heating up on Capitol Hill? The halls are feeling warmer than usual after a bombshell report by a British tabloid that a Republican state lawmaker paid for sex with an escort. That lawmaker, former Rep. Jon Stanard of St. George, resigned unexpectedly this week, just before the report came out. The fallout from the scandal continues to reverberate as the state carries on an investigation into his use of taxpayer money to carry out the alleged affair. Meanwhile, lots of bills continue forward.

It's week 2 at the Utah Legislature and we've already seen several big bills make their way through the House and Senate. On this week's episode, we discuss a few bills in direct conflict with two citizen-led ballot initiatives making their way to voters this fall. We're calling them "Ballot Busters." We also invite a lobbyist to lunch to find out how he wins friends and influences people. And, we try to figure out whether Democrats are becoming the party of "Law & Order" with several proposals to stiffen penalties for crimes.

The gavel has fallen and the Utah Legislature is officially in session! This week we dissect opening speeches by Gov. Gary Herbert and House Speaker Greg Hughes, then Speaker Hughes will also join us later in the episode for our “Better Know a Lawmaker” segment. To wrap it up, we'll sprint through some of the bills that have started to gain momentum on the hill.

And we're back! Welcome to Season 2 of 45 Days. The 2018 Utah Legislative Session is just around the corner. This week we're giving you an idea of some of the big topics lawmakers will try to tackle, some oddball bills we're kind of fond of, and our first ever installment of "Better Know a Lawmaker," featuring Rep. Robert Spendlove.

With just a week to go until the end of the 2017 Utah Legislative Session, KUER’s Terry Gildea, Nicole Nixon, and Whittney Evans talk about the latest developments on a bill to pull down the Zion Curtain—turns out there’ll still be a barrier between drinkers and the sober public. Also, legislators are looking to clarify “Stand Your Ground” rules in the state. And finally, Terry, Nicole and Whittney look at several important bills previously covered on the podcast that lawmakers are trying to pass before time runs out.

We’re nearing the end of the 2017 Utah legislative session. This week, KUER news director Terry Gildea talks with reporters Nicole Nixon, Whittney Evans, and Lee Hale about a bill to make provisional concealed carry permits available to 18 to 20-year-olds, amid concerns of sexual assault. They also discuss what lawmakers are doing—or not doing—to raise salaries for public school teachers.

We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2017 legislative session. This week on 45 Days, KUER News Director Terry Gildea talks with reporters Nicole Nixon, Whittney Evans, and Julia Ritchey about a bill that would lower the legal blood alcohol level from .08 to .05—one of the lowest limits in the country. Also, some legislators are trying to change concealed weapon permit laws in the state, and polygamy is back in the news this week, with people for and against showing up in Southern Utah to protest.

This week, KUER reporters Nicole Nixon, Lee Hale, and Judy Fahys join news director Terry Gildea to talk about sex education in Utah, and the fight over federal control of public lands in Utah. Last week Governor Gary Herbert signed a non-binding resolution that asks President Trump to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument. Also, the Utah Senate passed a resolution asking Congress to shrink the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

It’s the second week of “45 Days,” the KUER podcast bringing you the latest news on the bills and politics coming out of the 2017 general session of the Utah Legislature. This time, KUER reporters Erik Neumann, Judy Fahys, and Julia Ritchey sit down with news director Terry Gildea to talk about medical marijuana, resolutions surrounding Bears Ears, and more.

The 2017 general session of the Utah Legislature is underway, and KUER reporters are breaking down the bills, and the politics behind them, in our new podcast “45 Days.” On our first episode, KUER news director Terry Gildea is joined by reporters Whittney Evans and Julia Ritchey. They talk about the Women’s March, the Governor’s speech to the Utah Legislature, the future of the so-called Zion curtain, and more.